In a major shift from the previous practice, the Indian Army has entered into a contract with civilian aviation service providers to give helicopter support to 44 forward posts that remain cut off due to snow in winters in Ladakh, Jammu and the Kashmir valley.

This is for the first time that civil helicopters will be permitted to operate at the strategic forward positions along the borders with China and Pakistan that were so far out of bounds for civilians.

The contract, executed for a period of one year, will ensure that 16 remote posts in the Jammu region are sustained throughout the year, while another 28 posts in Kashmir and Ladakh will benefit from this support for 150 days next year. 

This initiative marks a decisive shift in how the Indian Army maintains its critical positions in high-altitude regions during the harsh winter months, when these areas are otherwise inaccessible due to snow, said a defence spokesman on Monday.

This contract, designed to provide helicopter support to the Army‘s winter cut-off posts along the Northern and Western borders, exemplifies India’s commitment to civil-military fusion and leveraging the PM Gati Shakti initiative, he said.

The contract’s terms specify that the civil aviation service provider will manage the entire load-carrying effort required to sustain these winter cut-off posts. The helicopters will ferry food, fuel, medical supplies, and other essential items, ensuring that these high-altitude positions remain fully operational and well-supplied during winter.

One of the standout aspects of this contract is the use of civil aviation helicopters instead of the Indian Army’s own aviation or Indian Air Force assets. This shift is not just about reducing costs; it is a strategic move to preserve the service life of military helicopters for more critical roles in combat or emergency scenarios. By leveraging civil aviation for routine logistics tasks, the Army ensures that its combat aviation fleet remains ready for more mission-critical operations.

The helicopters, provided under the contract, will operate from seven mounting bases in Ladakh, two in Kashmir, and one in the Jammu region, covering a total of 44 posts. These mounting bases have come up under the national endeavours such as Border Area Development and PM Gati Shakti’s infrastructural development push, which focuses on building an integrated and efficient logistics network across India’s borders.

This initiative is also a testament to the successful integration of civil and military capabilities in developing India’s border regions, which were once considered far too remote for commercial aviation operations, the spokesman said.

The success of this contract is not limited to logistics. It has far-reaching implications for the development of these remote areas. The use of civil aviation in border regions opens up new opportunities for tourism and local economic development, which were previously unthinkable due to the lack of infrastructure. The Indian Army’s initiative will also validate the use of civil aviation infrastructure in case of wartime contingencies, ensuring that these assets and facilities can be repurposed for military needs if required.

While this contract currently covers the Northern Command, plans are already in motion to expand the model to other strategic regions, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the North-East. This will bring the same logistical efficiency and developmental potential to these high-altitude regions, which remain critical to India’s national security framework.